Issa López is Set to Write & Direct OUR LADY OF TEARS for Blumhouse
Josh Millican
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Blumhouse recently acquired the rights and is developing the film, Our Lady of Tears, based on the recently published Epic Magazine article, “The Haunting of Girlstown,” written by Daniel Hernandez and published on Vox.
Today brings word that Issa López (Tigers Are Not Afraid) is set to write and direct the film adaptation of the article that focuses on a mass hysteria epidemic with supernatural roots, that in 2007 spread through Villa de las Niñas, an all girls, Catholic boarding school in the outskirts of Mexico City. The school recruited and isolated socially neglected girls coming from families living in extreme poverty and in remote areas of Mexico.
With this project, López would tap right into the area that gave her international recognition with the multi-awarded, critics darling Tigers Are Not Afraid: A supernatural tale about children fighting for survival in a harsh real-life environment. The film is Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes with a 97%.
“The moment I read the Epic article, I knew I wanted to tell this story. I myself attended a Catholic school in Mexico City. I grew up on a steady diet of supernatural visitations and miracles, and of the real life horrors that young girls who grow up in poverty face every day in Mexico, and around the world. Having the chance to tell that story with Jason [Blum] and his team, producers of such socially incisive genre classics like Get Out, and of so many true horror gems, is a huge privilege. I couldn’t be more excited about this movie,” López said about the project.
“The Blumhouse team was enthralled by the original article and Daniel’s deep reporting around such a terrifying and heartbreaking story. Ever since I first watched Tiger’s Are Not Afraid, I have wanted to find a project to collaborate on with Issa and I knew this was a perfect fit. I can’t wait for audiences to see her take on this material,” said Jason Blum, Blumhouse co-founder and CEO.
“Epic spent years tracking down former students, government officials and teachers to try to understand what happened at Girlstown. We learned that isolation can protect us from physical threats but our internal demons follow us wherever we go,” said Joshua Davis, co-founder, Epic.
Jason Blum will produce with Epic’s Joshua Davis and Arthur Spector. Epic co-founder Joshuah Bearman will executive produce. Our Lady of Tears will be produced by Blumhouse in association with Epic Media.
Epic was founded by journalists Joshua Davis and Joshuah Bearman in 2013 to publish extraordinary true stories. More than forty Epic articles have been optioned by Hollywood, including Argo, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and AppleTV+’s Little America, which is going into its second season. Epic is part of Vox Media Studios.
Blumhouse’s most recent theatrical releases include The Hunt starring Betty Gilpin and directed by Craig Zobel and The Invisible Man, directed by Leigh Whannell and starring Elisabeth Moss. The Invisible Man, recently released on home video, grossed over $122 million theatrically and is Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes with a 91%. On the television side, upcoming series include horror-thriller Betaal for Netflix premiering May 24 and The Good Lord Bird, the seven-part limited series starring and executive produced by Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke and based on the National Book Award-winning novel, of the same name, by bestselling author James McBride premieres Sunday, August 9 on Showtime. Recent releases include the Netflix documentary A Secret Love currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Are you excited to see how Our Lady of Tears develops? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
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